TIAMAT: * It's several hours later -- how many exactly is hard to tell, seeing as there aren't any windows in view -- when the elf girl slowly rejoins the world of the conscious. She's lying on her stomach on a rather hard surface, and she utters a low groan as she tries to sit up. This is not the best of ideas, however, as her head is pounding, and she lies still for a moment longer, reaching up to rub the back of her neck instead.

JETMODE: * The area she's in, once she's awake enough to have a look around, is a small cell with a stone floor and stone walls. There's a small scattering of dirty hay, but it doesn't do much for comfort. The cell is also windowless, but faint torchlight bleeds in from the heavy, wooden door, where a barred slat is the only window to the outside.

TIAMAT: "What..." Tai sits up slowly, still rubbing her neck and head. She gets to her knees and crawls toward the door of the cell, wrapping her hands around the bars and pulling herself to her feet. She tries the door, finding it locked (naturally), and gives it a little shake. "Hello?"

JETMODE: "They will not answer you," says a growling -- and vaguely female -- voice from one corner of the cell. "Property does not speak." The voice issues from a rather large imposing figure, at least seven feet in height, though it's hard to tell with her half crouched on the floor. Her features are difficult to make out, but she also appears to be a demi-human, feline in nature.

TIAMAT: * Tai utters a little squeak of surprise and spins around to face the creature, peering at her uncertainly through the darkness. "Who...who are you?"

JETMODE: * There's a long pause, as if the other person is actually having to think about her answer. "Ankh," she says finally. "I think that is what I am called." She doesn't seem terribly concerned one way or the other, however, blinking silently at Tai for a moment. "You are not a demi-human. Why have you been brought here?"

TIAMAT: "I...I don't know..." Tai turns to look through the bars of the door again, peering at the thin beams of light coming from the outside room. "What is this place?"

JETMODE: * The figure's shoulders lift in what is probably a shrug. "I do not know. I know that they bring us here and change us. And when we have changed, we are taken to fight."

TIAMAT: "Change?" There's a funny tone to Tai's voice, confused and concerned and afraid, all at once. She releases the bars of the door, and takes a step toward Ankh, peering at her again -- it's hard to see her since there's so very little light. "What kind of change?"

JETMODE: * The cat woman gets to her feet, head very nearly brushing the ceiling of the cell. "My people are ... less animal," she attempts to explain. "More like humans. They change us and make us more like animals." She gives her shaggy head a shake. "I am not complete."

TIAMAT: * Tai gasps a little when Ankh stands, taking a step back and bumping into the door of the cell. She stares at the demi-human head to foot for a long moment before finally finding her voice. "Not...complete? They're still...changing you?"

JETMODE: "They are." Ankh sits again, tail curling around her feet as she rests her arms on her knees, hands dangling. "But you are not here for that purpose. Perhaps they intend to pit you against one of us."

TIAMAT: "Pit me..." Tai trails off as comprehension dawns on her face, and she looks and sounds terrified. "Me...fight one of you!? In the coliseum!? But -- I can't fight! I'm not even -- I'm not in the games!"

JETMODE: "I did not ask to be brought here either," Ankh says pointedly. "Your wishes are most likely the least of their concerns." She looks toward the small window again and shakes her head.

TIAMAT: * Tai utters a little whimper, leaning against the bars of the cell and sliding down to sit in front of the door. She stays silent for a while, then pulls her legs up to her chest and wraps her arms around her knees. "My friends will come...we came here to try and...stop this."

JETMODE: * Ankh gazes at her silently for a moment, expression doubtful. "And yet your friends permitted you to be captured?" She reaches up to scratch at her neck, frowning. "Unless your friends are an army, there is little they can do."

TIAMAT: "They..." Tai rests her chin on her knees, looking disheartened. "They were away...trying to...well, I'm not sure what they were doing. ... What time is it, anyway, do you know?"

JETMODE: * Ankh shakes her head. "You were brought in many hours ago. But I do not know the time. I only know when they take me to the changing rooms, and they have not done so for some time."

TIAMAT: * Tai frowns, looking worried and a little sad. "How often do you go..?"

JETMODE: * Ankh shrugs. "Often. Though not as much lately. I have heard them say their methods are not working as well on me." She shrugs, baring her fangs momentarily. "I assume their aim is to make me fight the others once the change is complete."

TIAMAT: * Tai glances away, shuddering slightly. "I...I'm sorry," she mumbles quietly. "Does it hurt?"

JETMODE: "One becomes accustomed to it," Ankh says flatly. "I do not wish to discuss the matter further."

TIAMAT: "Sorry," Tai says again quickly, and she falls silent, leaning back against the bars of their prison.

JETMODE: * Hours come and go in silence, broken only once when a guard opens a flap in the wooden door to shove a plate of dried bread and meat inside, along with some water. Ankh is polite enough to split the fare, and she goes to sleep shortly afterward, apparently not much interested in socializing. Perhaps a day has passed when the dull activity of the prison erupts in a series of abrupt shouts -- that also end abruptly.

TIAMAT: * Tai lets Ankh eat whatever she wants -- not only is she not particularly hungry, she also doesn't particularly want to get in the demi-human's way. After the meal, she just continues to lean against the door, staring into the blank darkness. She must have dozed off after a while, for when the shouts are heard through the door, she jerks awake and upright, turning to kneel in front of the door and peer into the gloom outside as best she can.

JETMODE: * Following the sound of fighting, footsteps start up the hallway, catching Ankh's attention before too long. She leans over Tai, claws catching in the door's wooden frame, when a voice calls out, "Miss Tai, are you here? We haven't got much time ..." The steps pause, and another set appear to be stalking in the other direction. "You really think they would have put her down here?"

TIAMAT: * Tai gasps when Ankh leans over her, half-turning to look at the demi-human and nearly falling on her rump in the process. She also nearly misses her own name being called, until she realizes the voices are familiar, and she jerks back around toward the door. "L-Luke? Kain!?"

JETMODE: "Ah -- miss Tai, is that you?" There is relief evident in Luke's voice, and there's a rattling sound as he fumbles with some keys. "This is really not going at all according to plan," he says, sounding almost giddy -- and possibly hysterical. "But I suppose -- ah." He finally finds the right key, and the door falls open, largely due to Ankh's leaning on it. Luke lurches back sharply as the large demi-human comes into view, and Kain utters a startled curse.

TIAMAT: * Tai squeaks quietly as she tumbles out of the cell, quickly scrambling to her feet and running over to Kain to clutch his arm and half-hide behind him. "I'm so glad to see you," she whispers,, sounding rattled and glancing around nervously. "How did you find me..?"

JETMODE: "We -- well, we were sort of coming here anyway --" Kain begins, but he seems distracted by the large demi-human looming over Luke. "We, ah, found you gone and guessed it was the slavers ... this is the office they'd go to -- beneath the office, anyway --" Luke is also staring apprehensively at Ankh, who looks at them both without interest before turning to Tai. "These are your friends?" she asks.

TIAMAT: * Tai looks slowly up at Ankh and nods, then glances down between the boys. "Oh -- she -- she's okay. She's -- they were -- testing on her...it sounds like." She pauses, looking back at Ankh. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Ankh, this is Kain and Luke." She nods to the elves as she introduces them. "This is, um. Ankh."

JETMODE: * Ankh inclines her head, but the others appear momentarily stunned. Luke recovers first, shaking his head. "Be that as it may -- we have things to do before we can leave this place, and I'm afraid we may have gotten carried away in looking for you." Kain looks at Tai oddly, as though he's just noticed the clinging, then he shrugs, waving toward Ankh. "Guess she's coming with us now, too?"

TIAMAT: * Tai stares back at Kain, then quickly releases his arm and takes a small step backwards. "Um...yes! I mean...if she wants to." She looks up at Ankh. "Um...do you want to come with us?" she asks a little blankly. "We can help you..."

JETMODE: * Ankh peers at them for a moment and shrugs. "If my options are escape and death I will choose escape." Luke nods, looking dazed for a moment, as if he's having to recalculate their plans all over again. "Right, then, this way." He darts back up the hall, past Kain and Tai and over the prone bodies of a couple of guards. "We have to get to the offices before someone discovers the mess we've made ..."

TIAMAT: * Tai follows along quickly, glancing back at Kain and Ankh, then down at the guards as she steps carefully over them. "Um...what did you guys do to them...?" she asks apprehensively as she pauses to look at still bodies.

JETMODE: "Hit them until they fell down," Kain says blandly. "We were in a hurry." Luke pauses at the stairs, listening for a moment before dashing up and pausing again. "Kain," he says suddenly, "I just had a thought --" Kain nods agreeably. "Already on it ... I'll meet you back at the fort." Luke grins at him, and the taller elf trots back down the stairs, shaking his head slightly.

TIAMAT: * Tai half turns to watch him disappear back down the stairs, then looks back up at Luke as she follows him upward. "Where..?"

JETMODE: "Don't worry about it, miss. We're both looking for something that will put the bad guys away." He grins and starts up the stairs again, apparently satisfied that all's quiet above. Ankh seems uninterested in the activity, giving another shrug and following.

TIAMAT: "I hope we can," Tai says nervously, following Luke closely. The upper level seems quiet, and through the now-visible windows, she can see it's twilight outside. "How...how long has it been since we arrived in the city?"

JETMODE: "Maybe a day ..." Luke peers into one of the offices, then lurches sharply backward, frowning. "Well, that was unexpected ... not good at all ..." He glances in again, frowning when his suspicions are confirmed. "Why in heaven's name is he working so late ..."

TIAMAT: * Tai comes up behind Luke, peering at him curiously, though she's not close enough to see into the office. "What is it?" she whispers.

JETMODE: * He pulls her back down the hall a few feet, hiding around the corner for a moment. Ankh follows, apparently intrigued by this behavior. "You see," Luke says, "that's old Adlai's aide in there.. he'll know me ... we've worked together on occasion in the past. I don't know a good way to get him out of there ..."

TIAMAT: * Tai stares at Luke, then peers around the corner down the hall toward the office for a moment, then looks at Luke again. "I can go distract him."

JETMODE: "Ah, no, I couldn't possibly ask --" He glances back over his shoulder, as if expecting to see Kain looming there, then he shakes his head. "Please, miss, don't do anything to put yourself in danger --" Ankh makes a faint rumbling noise -- apparently one of amusement. "I can crush his skull for you," she suggests.

TIAMAT: * Tai startles and turns, looking at Ankh a little doubtfully. "Let's, um, save that as a last resort." She turns back to Luke, frowning a little now. "I'm not COMPLETELY useless, Luke -- you said you might have some trouble with this part since both you and Kain are known on the council, and I said I could help you there, right? So this is me helping." She hesitates a moment. "He won't recognize ME, will he? What if he saw me in the...in the cell downstairs?"

JETMODE: * Ankh's tail gives a lash, and Luke shrugs. "I can't know if he'll recognize you, miss Tai, I wasn't here when you were brought in. But I suppose we'll just have to gamble on it -- or have Ankh hit him and pretend it was a jail break." Ankh glances at him, apparently liking this idea.

TIAMAT: "Let me try first," Tai says hurriedly, seeing the look at Ankh's face. "I'll lure him out of there and...and meet you outside in a little while, okay?"

JETMODE: * Luke nods, though it's clear he doesn't much like the idea. "Please, hurry, miss. And be careful." Ankh settles into a crouch nearby, tail lashing slightly. In the light, her tiger markings become more clear.

TIAMAT: * Tai nods again and starts down the hall confidently -- or at least partially so. She pauses just outside the door, takes a deep breath, then pokes her head around the corner into the room innocently. "Oh...um...excuse me..."

JETMODE: * The aide, apparently absorbed in his work, looks up sharply at the interruption, then looks frankly alarmed that he doesn't recognize the person interrupting him. "Who in the devil's name are you? Civilians aren't allowed here --"

TIAMAT: * Tai just manages to hide a flinch, then steps in the doorway, blushing a little. "Oh, I am so sorry to interrupt you, sir -- you see, I -- I got separated from my group -- I thought this was the next building we were going in to, but there was no one in here when I came in! And now, oh, I'm afraid I've gotten turned around and seem to have lost the exit..."

JETMODE: * The man's alarm turns rapidly to impatience, and he lifts a hand, the other pressing at his temple. "Oh.. very well. Do be quiet. Honestly, I've told them to clearly mark the exits ..." He stalks out from around the desk. "Well, follow me. I'll take you out."

TIAMAT: * Tai quickly backs out of the doorway and steps aside to let him pass, looking both anxious and pleased when he steps out into the hallway next to her. "Oh, thank you so much, sir. The city is so large...much larger than where I come from...I do hope I can find my group again."

JETMODE: * The man merely grunts irritably, sounding surprisingly like Kain for a moment, and he starts down the hallway -- happily, away from where Ankh and Luke are hiding. As soon as they are well gone, Luke darts around the corner and into the office, thumbing rapidly through the paperwork.

TIAMAT: * Tai resists the urge to look backward to see if her friends made it to the office, instead contenting to follow the aide along a little nervously, though she does keep up a fairly steady banter along the way, occasionally asking a question about the office or the city in an attempt to kill a little more time.

JETMODE: * The aide doesn’t seem interested in chitchat, but the route down to the street does seem to take more time than he expected to navigate. "Really, if that's all ... be more careful in the future," he says shortly, depositing her at the front door. "The games are held in that building." He gestures toward the coliseum. "How people continually get the offices confused I will never understand."

TIAMAT: * Tai smiles politely and inclines her head as she steps outside into the cooling night air. "Thank you again, sir, next time I will try not to get separated from my guide! Do have a nice evening, won't you? It was nice meeting you!"

JETMODE: * The man gives her a fairly unfriendly stare, shaking his head as he retreats into the building. Tai is left waiting only a few minutes before someone catches her by the arm, leading her around the corner of the building. "Nicely done," says Luke's voice. "We'd best head back to the fort before Kain gets restless."

TIAMAT: * Tai yelps and stumbles into the shadows of the building, relaxing when she recognizes Luke's voice. "See?" she says, sounding almost defensive. "I told you I wasn't useless."

JETMODE: "If I recall correctly, miss Tai," Luke says, somewhat testy, "I am not the one who suggested you were." He shakes his head wearily. "Today has been an unmitigated disaster ... let's go." He sets off through the shadows, and Ankh follows, apparently still interested enough to tag along.

TIAMAT: "Sorry," she says blankly after a moment, and trots after them. She falls in step next to her companions, remaining silent for a moment before looking up at Luke. "So...did you find anything?"

JETMODE: "I did, though it may not amount to much if Kain didn't find something, as well." He quickens his pace, leading his short parade more rapidly toward one of the city's entrances. It's increasingly quiet on the street, though a few guards roam about, and the trio passes largely unmolested. When they reach the gate itself, a tall figure is slouched in the shadows, and it lifts its head in greeting as they approach. "Took you long enough."

TIAMAT: * Tai doesn't question Luke further, concentrating on staying close, though she trots ahead to meet Kain when she spots him in the distance. "We were a little delayed. But we managed." She grins a little. "Are you all right?"

JETMODE: "Not a scratch," he answers comfortably. "Now, we're getting the hell out of here, right?" Luke nods, looking weary. "I have some fairly shady paperwork -- were you able to get ahold of anything more solid?" Kain nods, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Tell you on the way. Let's just get out of here." With that, he turns to exit the city, striking off toward the coast before turning back east.

TIAMAT: * Tai starts to follow Kain, then pauses and looks back at the demi-human questioningly. "Will you accompany us, miss Ankh?"

JETMODE: * Ankh shrugs. "I will follow out of the city a way. From there, who can say?" Luke doesn't look terribly reassured by this, but Kain doesn't seem to care much. "Right, well, as long as you don't go killing us in our sleep, it's no matter to us what you do ..."

TIAMAT: "I don't think she'd do anything like that," Tai says, looking at Kain and sounding a little wary before turning back to Ankh as they make their way out of the city. "If you come back to Kamaria...I'm sure Lord Glenn could help you...right, Luke? And...well...you could help shut all this down, too..."

JETMODE: * Ankh looks at her silently for a moment, then shakes her head. "I would be no good for that," she says. "Even before they changed me, my will was to fight, and now it is even more so. I know another place that I will go." Luke glances at her and nods, smiling briefly. "Well, we can take you partway to the rift, anyway -- probably give you fare to get across. It's on our way."

TIAMAT: "The rift?" Tai repeats blankly. "Doesn't that lead to Detienne? What's over there? And isn't it dangerous to cross?"

JETMODE: "Wouldn't know, never crossed it," Kain remarks. "But there's supposed to be a giant coliseum over there -- puts Jareth's little arena to shame." Ankh nods in agreement. "A place where the strongest gather to do battle," she says firmly.

TIAMAT: * Tai looks at her doubtfully. "I've heard of the mighty Arena, but if it's anything like the one here, are you sure you want to go there?"

JETMODE: "Well, it's practically a city unto itself, from what I've heard," Kain remarks. It's clear he's been interested in the place before. "Maybe even a small country ... I doubt it operates on quite the same level, you know?" Ankh nods again, tail switching, and Luke glances back at them. "In any case, it's not up to us what Ankh chooses to do."

TIAMAT: "Oh yes," Tai agrees quickly. "I...I didn't mean to imply that. It was merely...a suggestion." She glances up at the towering demi-human and swallows hard.

JETMODE: * Ankh nods agreeably, reaching over to pat Tai on the head in what she likely thinks is a reassuring manner. "I will be well. My folk have been there before and come back unharmed." Kain sighs wistfully. "Like to go there sometime, really ... can't imagine what it's like." Luke snorts. "Well, you'd better hope a sibling crawls out of the woodwork, or you’ll be lucky to leave Kamaria."

TIAMAT: * Tai squeaks a little when Ankh pats her, looking up at the larger figure with a faint smile.